Shiba Inu Dog Who Inspired the Doge Meme Ill With Leukemia

The dog who inspired one of the most recognized memes has fallen seriously ill.

Kabosu, known as the Shiba Inu “doge” who went viral in 2010 for posing with her paws crossed while looking weary yet excited, was diagnosed with leukemia and liver disease.

According to several Instagram posts shared by the Kabosu’s owner, Atsuko Sato, the 17-year-old pooch stopped “eating and drinking voluntarily” on Christmas Eve. Following a trip to the hospital, doctors said Kabosu was in a “very dangerous condition.”

After receiving a diagnosis of “acute cholangiohepatitis and chronic lymphoma leukemia” with Kabosu presenting low liver levels and jaundice, Sato said Kabosu should improve with antibiotics, adding that her appetite has already returned.

Despite Kabosu’s recent health scare, Sato previously said that her famous dog had been showing signs of slowing down since first garnering viral fame.

Kabosu gained recognition after Sato shared a photo of her dog looking inquisitive on her blog in 2010. The photo made its rounds on Reddit, Tumblr and 4Chan, with people adding commentary in Comic Sans font of what the pooch may be thinking.

The Shiba Inu won Meme of the Year on Know Your Meme in 2013, and that same year the founders of Dogecoin, Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer, made Kabosu their mascot, making it the first “meme coin” in the cryptocurrency space, per CNN. After nearly 10 years, dogecoin is still popular and actively traded today. Notably, an NFT of the viral meme sold at auction for $4 million.